US House of Representatives Republican Party Conference Chairwoman Liz Cheney, along with 20 Republican colleagues, said Thursday that legislation is being introduced to sanction Turkey for its military offensive against US-backed Kurdish forces in northern Syria, Fox News reported.

“[Turkish] President [Recep Tayyip] Erdogan and his regime must face serious consequences for mercilessly attacking our Kurdish allies in northern Syria, who incurred thousands of casualties in the fight against ISIS and helped us protect the homeland,” said Cheney. “These sanctions are not only a response to the Erdogan regime’s violent attacks in northern Syria. Congress has long had concerns about the regime’s cooperation with U.S. adversaries, such as Russia.

“If Turkey wants to be treated like an ally, it must begin behaving like one. They must be sanctioned for their attacks on our Kurdish allies.”